The Goldstein sisters and the Billywig in New York
by Imagine69
Summary: Newt might have collected all the vertebrates that escaped his case. But he may have neglected a certain insect. After Newt's departure, Tina and Queenie are left to clean up the mess left behind by his Billywig.
1. Floating in Central Park

Tina tried not to wake her sister, so she tiptoed out into the living room before lighting her wand. Goodness knew Queenie needed all the sleep she could get these days.

'Teenie?'

Tina sighed. She should've known.

'Go back to sleep, Queenie,' she said softly. 'It's still an hour before sunrise. Just the Aurors and the 'bliviators got called in early. Nothing Dark though, sounds like it's just a magical kid getting loose in Central Park.'

'Take care, Teenie,' Queenie murmured. Her voice, still laced with sleep, seemed sweeter and more vulnerable than usual.

'Of course,' said Tina. 'I'll tell you about it later.'

But when Tina reported to Central Park, it was obviously more than a young witch or wizard playing pranks. Half a dozen No-Majs were levitating off the ground, some looking terrified, others elated, while harried-looking wizards from MACUSA tried all manner of incantations to bring them back to the ground. President Piquery herself had come to the scene, and was waving her wand about, trying to assist her Aurors.

'Madam Picquery?'

'Ah, Goldstein.' The president beckoned her over. 'Currently six No-Majs have been affected by some sort of Levitation spell, or possibly a potion. We have been unable to locate the source. Only thing common between them is that they were all out for a jog in Central Park and heard a buzzing sound before the levitation began. My ears, on the other hand, are wide open to any ideas.'

Tina was puzzled. She glanced around the scene. It appeared that MACUSA had switched tactics. They'd given up trying to undo the levitation spell, and were trying to round up the floating No-Majs and transport them to MACUSA headquarters, where there was less chance of more No-Maj witnesses.

'Woah, woah, woah!' A great shout came from one of Auror Tolliver as his own feet began to lift off the ground. ' _Finite Incantatem_! _Descendo!_ ' His spellwork did nothing and he found himself levitating a few feet from the ground, just like the other No-Majs.

Havoc ensued as his colleagues, including Tina, ran forward to try to help.

'It's no good, Achilles,' said Finnigan. 'We're going to have to bring you back to MACUSA with the others, until we figure it out.'

While the others directed the grumpy-looking Tolliver, Tina's eyes drifted and caught onto a tiny blue object whizzing away from Tolliver at high speeds. It darted so quickly that Tina wondered if she'd imagined it, except that she was sure she'd seen it before, when she and Newt were looking for Jacob.

'Madam President,' Tina said to Picquery, who was directly the Aurors to Side-Along Apparate the No-Majs. 'I have an idea but I need to do some more research first.'

'What's your idea, Goldstein?'

Tina hesitated. She didn't want Newt to get into any more trouble, not least because it might jeopardise his chances of returning to New York as he'd promised. 'I just thought it could be some sort of rare toxin.'

Picquery nodded, somewhat impatiently, and dismissed her. 'Find out as quickly as you can and report back, Goldstein.'

'Yes, Madam President.'

Tina hurried away. She needed to figure out what that blue insect was and quickly. Despite what Newt had claimed, it was almost certainly not a large moth. If only Newt's book had already been published - then she could look it up.

But Newt had written manuscripts, and she was sure that in between all the chaos of New York, Newt spent a lot of time ruminating over his manuscripts.

Which meant Queenie could help.

Tina found a deserted corridor a few streets off from Central Park and Apparated. She needed her sister's help.


	2. My sister, investigative consultant

'But you ain't never wanted me to read Newt's mind!' Queenie protested, 'You told me 'specially not to tell you what he was thinking!'

Tina sighed, nursing her cocoa between her chilled fingers. 'I know, Queenie, but this is serious. There's six No-Majs and an Auror floating around MACUSA right now and we gotta figure out how to fix this.'

Queenie sighed too. 'I know, Teenie. But I ain't gonna be much help. Newt didn't spend much time thinking about his manuscripts, and you know how I'm bad at accents.'

'You're kidding, right? He stayed a whole week before his ship sailed. He must've thought of his book. Please, Queenie, anything could help.' Tina vaguely wondered if Queenie was doing this on purpose. She'd been really hurt by the loss of Jacob; maybe she was holding out on her sister as a last attempt to wrestle her life into control.

Too late, she tried to retract the thought. Queenie's brow furrowed and her nose crinkled with hurt. 'I wouldn't ever do that, Teenie, you know that.'

'I know, I'm sorry.'

Queenie brushed it off. She was good at that - she'd had a lot of practice catching onto the tail end of hurtful, if inadvertent, thoughts. 'It's true though,' Queenie said earnestly. 'Newt wasn't thinking about his book much.'

Tina continued to look perplexed. He had been so quiet. What on earth had been on his mind?

'Oh, I think you know, Tina,' Queenie said gently. She took a sip of her own cocoa. 'Or at least, you hope. Why, Tina, he was thinking about _you_.'

Tina wasn't quite sure how to react. She was torn between frustration that Newt never once thought anything useful about the whizzing insect, and a warm glow of pleasure that Newt had been so attentive to her through all the time he'd been here. He'd even promised to come back. Hope blossomed in Tina's chest and she had to stare hard at her cocoa in order to focus on the situation at hand.

'Course he likes you, Tina,' Queenie said, her tone light and teasing. She didn't need to be Legilimens to see what her sister was thinking. Tina's cheeks were glowing red, and it wasn't because she'd just come out of the cold New York air.

'Give it a rest, Queenie,' Tina muttered, embarrassed. She decided it was safer to change the subject back to the levitating No-Majs. 'Well, if Newt didn't think anything helpful that you could pick up on, I guess we'd better ask him.'

Queenie's smile broadened. 'You're going to talk to Newt? How're you planning to do that?'

Queenie's question sent another burst of butterflies through Tina's veins. Talk to Newt? Was that possible? What would she say? What would _he_ say?

But Tina shook the thoughts out of her head. It would be highly inappropriate to use MACUSA emergency channels for personal communications. Not to mention the fact that Newt would surely get into serious trouble if Picquery knew one of his creatures was still here. No, she needed to be more subtle.

'That's a good point,' Queenie nodded as she followed Tina's train of thought. For once, Tina didn't mind. Queenie was pretty good at helpful ideas sometimes; maybe this would be one of those times.

'Hey Teenie,' Queenie said suddenly. 'Doesn't Newt's brother work at the Brit's version of MACUSA? You can always tell Picquery the Brits have experience with this kind of thing and get her to consult him.'

Tina remained silent for a moment, digesting this idea. Then, she suddenly put down her mug and wrapped her arms around her sister. 'Queenie, you are brilliant!' she exclaimed. She grabbed her coat and made a beeline for the door. 'I'll see you later, okay?'

'Love you!' Queenie called, but her sister was already out the door.


	3. Writing to Theseus

_CONFIDENTIAL_

 _For the attention of Theseus Scamander:_

Dear Mr Scamander,

My name is Porpentina Goldstein, Auror from MACUSA. I am writing to request information concerning a situation we are currently facing at MACUSA. A number of No-Majs Muggles and one Auror have been afflicted uncontrollable levitation. They report buzzing in the ears right before the beginning of the event. There is some evidence to suggest that this levitation might have been caused by a small magical insect, most likely non-native to the Americas.

If you or the British Auror system have any information, please reply by confidential memo as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Porpentina Goldstein

Auror, Major Investigative Department

Magical Congress of the United States of America

...

Theseus was shaking his head as he watched his brother push through the doors of the Leaky Cauldron. A dozen times he's tried to invite him for dinner with himself and Leta, yet as soon as he mentions an Auror from MACUSA, Newt suddenly finds the time to talk to his brother.

'Newt.' Theseus sets down his Butterbeer to stand up and slap Newt on the back in greeting.

'Hello, Theseus. What did Tina say?' Newt sits himself down at the bar and orders a Butterbeer.

Theseus sighs. Straight to the point. Typical Newt. 'There're a bunch of Muggles levitating and none of the Americans can bring them down. Obviously chaos for the Obliviators across the pond. Miss Goldstein thinks an insect might be involved.'

Newt's eyes grew wide for a moment, his face paling with realisation. The Billywig. Oops. 'Oh, you see, er, I might've forgotten the Billywig,' Newt admitted sheepishly.

Theseus' eyes narrowed. 'Tell me,' he said, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

'They're not dangerous or anything,' Newt said hastily. 'They're wicked fast and almost impossible to see. Tina's a really good Auror though, very observant.'

'Stay on topic, Newt,' Theseus said impatiently, though he made a mental note to ask about this Tina later.

'Oh right, yes. Well, they're native to Australia and sometimes they can sting people. It causes levitation but it's not dangerous. There's no known cure for it, but after a couple of days the toxin will work its way out of the body and the levitation will stop on its own.'

Theseus nodded slowly. 'That's good. But if that thing's on the loose in New York it could happen again. How can we catch it?'

Newt swallowed, expecting the question. 'It's not easy. Even though they sting humans, they're more partial to emu birds. A prolonged _arresto momentum_ around a flock of emus should slow it down enough to Stun it and catch it. Maybe I ought to go over there and-'

'Absolutely not, Newt, you've a travel ban. I'm sure Auror Goldstein can handle it.' Honestly, Theseus wasn't sure this Goldstein girl, however talented, could find a bunch of emus in America, but he shrugged the thought aside. 'Which brings me to this question, Newt. Who's this girl to you?' Theseus tried to hide the amusement in his voice. It wouldn't do to let Newt think he was being teased.

Newt blushed. This surprised Theseus - Newt never blushed.

'She's a friend I met in New York,' Newt said, hoping this would appease his brother, but Theseus simply waited expectantly. 'She arrested me and helped me find my creatures and capture Grindelwald.'

Theseus' eyebrows shot up. Trust Newt to get himself arrested. But this girl had helped him. And now, this girl was protecting him, clearly avoiding the usual channels of communication to write to Theseus directly so that Newt wouldn't get into trouble.

'I'll send a memo back to Miss Goldstein with this information,' said Theseus. He drained the remnants of his Butterbeer and standing up. 'Thanks for your help, Newt.'

'Oh, I can tell her in my next letter.'

This took Theseus by surprise. Newt was writing to her?! But he kept his expression neutral, fighting hard to stop the corners of his mouth from curling upwards. 'Of course you can, Newt, but she obviously needs fast answers and a memo will be quicker.'

Newt nodded. This made sense. 'Okay then.' He turned to leave, but Theseus called after him.

'Newt!'

Newt turned back.

'Leta and I would really love to have you for dinner.'

'When I have time,' said Newt. 'I'm really busy with the creatures.' He turned and left the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Theseus to sigh exasperatedly.


	4. Theseus writes back

_CONFIDENTIAL_

 _For the attention of Porpentina Goldstein:_

Dear Miss Goldstein,

I thank you for your tactful request for information. I have consulted with our Magizoologist and he believes the culprit is a Billywig. Levitation caused by a Billywig's sting will stop on its own after a few days. There is no known cure to speed up the process.

The Billywig is native to Australia. It is more partial to stinging emus than humans. It may be captured by casting an extended _arresto momentum_ around a flock of emus. Once the Billywig arrives and flies into the spell, it an be Stunned and contained.

Good luck.

Yours sincerely,

Theseus Scamander

Head Auror

British Ministry of Magic

...

'By Morrigan, where are we supposed to find a flock of emus in New York?'

Tina had just recounted the contents of Theseus' memo to Queenie, and was now sprawled on her bed in despair. Queenie, listening intently, gazed down at her from her perch on her own bed.

'If only Newt was here,' Tina moaned.

To be honest, she'd been wishing Newt were here every day since he'd left. But now she had an excuse to express it. Newt would know exactly what to do, emus or none.

'Teenie, it's all right to miss him,' Queenie said, and Tina turned her head to look at her sister. Queenie's eyes were wide, and a little damp. Tina sat up immediately.

'Oh, Queenie, I'm sorry. I know you miss Jacob.'

Queenie blinked rapidly. Her eyes dried, but they were still very bright. 'It's all right, Teen. It's not like he's across the ocean. He's right here, in New York. I just can't-'

'I know,' Tina said softly. Speaking of Jacob, Tina wouldn't have minded his presence either. He wasn't Newt, but he had that special aura of cheerfulness about him. Not to mention he was very loyal, very brave - he punched Gnarlak, for mercy's sake. No wonder Queenie thought the world of him. And he'd had more experience catching creatures than either herself of Queenie. Yes, it would've been good to have Jacob with them.

'Teenie...'

Tina was jolted out of her thoughts by Queenie's intent gaze. Queenie's eyes were damp again, and she was leaning forward, a hesitant question forming upon her lips. She'd clearly heard all of Tina's thoughts about Jacob.

'What is it, Queenie?' Tina was careful that 'don't read my mind' didn't slip out of her lips. She knew Queenie couldn't help it, especially now. Queenie always had most trouble controlling her powers when she was upset.

'If you think Jacob could help, well, perhaps we should go and see him.'

'Queenie, what on earth...?'

'He's opened up a bakery with the silver shells that Newt gave him.'

Tina sighed. 'Queenie, I know you miss him, but he was Obliviated, remember? Are you sure it's a good idea to see him?'

'He mightn't have forgotten everything. It's not like he was Obliviated with a spell. Maybe the Swooping Evil venom is different. Please, Tina, I think I sensed something, you know, just before we Disapparated? When Jacob was standing in the rain? Jacob thinks so loudly. I think I saw something. Please, Teen, it surely can't hurt to check?'

Queenie sounded so earnest, so desperate, that the 'no' on Tina's tongue faltered just behind her lips. What if Queenie was right, that Jacob didn't forget everything? They could get Jacob back again...but MACUSA would Obliviate him for sure...but they didn't have to tell MACUSA...just like she hadn't told them about the Billywig. But then what if Jacob had truly forgotten? Queenie might've thought she'd sensed something, that dreadful day in the rain, but what if Queenie was wrong? After all, she must be so desperate to believe that Jacob might remember. What if they turned up at the bakery, and Jacob had truly forgotten? She didn't think she could bear to see Queenie get hurt all over again.

'I won't, Teen, I promise. Besides, it can't hurt more than it already does.'

That did it. If there was the slightest chance that Jacob remembered, for Queenie's sake, Tina had to try.

'Okay. But we have to be careful. Let's make a plan.'


	5. Recruiting Jacob

'Tina, I got you a coffee.'

'Thanks, Achilles, you didn't have to do that,' Tina said without looking up from her work.

Achilles hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that Tina's eyes never strayed from the parchment, he turned and left. He was still lighter on his feet than usual, but at least he was walking again rather than floating.

During his three days of levitation, most of his colleagues had dared go near him, fearing it was contagious. Only Tina had approached with a coffee and a shy smile each morning, and ever since his feet had touched the ground again, he followed her around like a little puppy. _He_ didn't know that Tina was only being nice because she was feeling guilty on Newt's behalf, letting that evasive Billywig fly free in New York.

Tina paused from her paperwork and took a sip of the coffee that Achilles had left for her. It was searing hot and perfectly aromatic. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction and vaguely wondered how her sister's visit to the bakery was going.

Several hours later, Tina trudged up the stairs to her apartment, exchanging the usual declarations of solitude with Mrs Esposito along the way. She paused at the door, not sure what she would find inside. Would Queenie be in there, curled into a ball of despair and flooded with the tangled thoughts of everyone downstairs on the street?

Taking a deep breath, Tina pushed open the door and there she was. Queenie, radiant and beaming, her wand dancing in the air as she tossed carrots and peas into her frying pan.

'You needn't have worried, Teenie,' she said, flashing a smile at her sister. 'I'm happier than ever.'

'Good to see you, Tina!' Jacob, beaming with a smile almost as wide as Queenie's, rose from his seat at the table to greet Tina with open arms.

'You remember!'

Jacob grinned as he tossed Tina's bag onto the couch and hung her coat up for her. 'Took a while for the gears to set into place, but I got there in the end! Soon as I saw your lovely sister, all the fragmented memories all came together.'

'Well, it's great to have you back, Jacob.' Tina surprised even herself with the sincerity of her words. There was a momentary silence while both she and Jacob fished for an appropriate thing to say next, but they were saved by Queenie's call for dinner.

'We can eat now, you too. Don't forget to wash your hands, Teen.'

Tina quickly rinsed her hands in the bathroom and returned to take her seat at the dining table, where Queenie was already enchanting the pot and ladle to serve soup to each of them. Jacob had tucked a napkin into his collar and was inhaling the scent of Queenie's cooking.

'Oh, that's sweet, honey,' Queenie said to him. 'It's just a simple recipe, really.'

Sensing she could be in for an evening of puppy eyes and one-sided conversation, Tina decided she'd better get straight into business. 'So has Queenie told you about the situation, Jacob?'

Jacob nodded. 'Yeah, some Willybig has been going 'round stinging people and making 'em float. And we gotta catch it before it gets Newt into trouble.'

'A Billywig, honey,' Queenie corrected, but Tina was already nodding approvingly. Queenie must have briefed him well.

'Jacob has an idea about the emus too, don't you, honey?'

Jacob nodded again and swallowed a mouthful of soup. 'When Newt and I went after the rhino-thing...the Erumpent...there were ostriches escaping from Central Park Zoo. Now, I was thinking, right? So the Billywig is native to Australia, where the big birds are the emus. We ain't got none of them 'round here, but we do have big birds. Who's to say the Billywig wouldn't prefer ostriches if there were any of them down under?'

Tina nodded slowly, digesting this information. It made sense to her. Jacob was a clever man.

'Sounds good. We'll just need to find the ostrich enclosure at the zoo, cast _arresto momentum_ and wait for the Billywig. Jacob, do you know where to find the ostriches?'

Jacob nodded as he chewed some of the chicken that Queenie's spatula was pushing onto his plate. He swallowed. 'Ran into them when I was with Newt.'

'It's quite the story, Teenie,' Queenie interrupted. 'Jacob and Newt went on quite the adventure catching the Erumpent.'

Tina raised her eyebrows, her mouth also full of chicken. Jacob grinned at the sparkle in Queenie's eyes and began to tell his tale. Both girls listened intently, even though Queenie had already pulled the whole story out of his head.

Jacob spoke uninterrupted until he began describing Newt's mating dance. At this point, Queenie burst into giggles and Tina was fighting hard not to laugh. The mental image of Newt's graceful Erumpent movements was becoming too much.

'So he's almost got her in the case, but then something startles me and I spill the Erumpent musk. And suddenly it's chasing after me and I'm running fast as I can over the ice. I glanced back to see where Newt was, you know, 'cos I figured he could probably magic some help for me, but he seemed to have gotten his wand stolen by the monkeys.'

The wand-stealing monkey was the final straw for Tina, who collapsed into giggles too. Jacob was also laughing as he continued, 'Anyway, I only got a glimpse of him because I was running for my life, you know, climbed up a tree. Then Newt finally caught up and sucked the Erumpent back into his case.'

Even between the giggles, Tina couldn't help but realise how incredibly dangerous that 'adventure' had been. Jacob told the story in such a self-effacing way, but in reality he must have been very brave and very scared to be racing across the frozen river with a gigantic horned beast on the hunt. Tina was beginning to think more and more highly of Jacob. Maybe he _might_ __be good enough for Queenie.

Queenie, of course, caught onto this last thought and winked at Tina. They'd finished eating by this point, so Queenie stood up and began to Summon the dishes to the sink.

'It's quite the tale,' Tina said to Jacob. 'Are you gonna come with us to catch the Billywig?'

'Are you kidding? 'Course I am. Part of the gang, now, eh?'

'You absolutely are!' Queenie said from the kitchen sink.

Tina was nodding too. 'Thank you, Jacob. I saw we get a couple of hours sleep and head out a little after midnight.'

'Tonight, Teen?' Queenie sounded surprised. She evidently hadn't expect her sister to dive into an operation so suddenly.

'The sooner the better, Queenie,' Tina said, as Jacob rubbed his hands together in anticipation, excited to be part of the magical world again. _Besides_ , Tina thought, _the longer we leave it, the more likely it is to cause trouble for Newt. I can't have that._

'Of course you can't, Teen,' Queenie said, so quietly that neither of the other two could hear. 'You'd do anything for Newt.'


	6. Capturing the Billywig

It was a full moon that night. Tina wrapped her coat tightly around herself, her breath misting in the freezing air as she hurried through Central Park, with Queenie and Jacob in her wake.

'Alohomora.'

The gate creaked open and Tina ushered her companions in, glancing nervously behind them to see if they had been seen. But it seemed no one else had been mad enough to venture into the chill of the night.

'Okay, Jacob. Which way to the ostriches?'

Jacob hesitated for a moment and looked around, getting his bearings. Then he nodded abruptly as if approving of his own navigation skills, and set off at a trot, the two girls following close behind.

The enclosure was large and open-air. It was surrounded by a fence of thick wire and furnished with sparse vegetation throughout. Half a dozen birds sat at their nests along the perimeter, asleep.

'How do we know if the Billywig's already been?' Queenie asked softly. Now that they'd stopped moving, she had started shivering, even though she was wearing a thick woollen coat. Jacob tried to take off his jacket to give to her, but she stopped him with a sharp look. 'No, you'll freeze, honey. Don't worry about me, I can always use a Warming Charm if it gets too much.'

After a quick glance around to see that they were alone, Tina drew her wand and gave it a graceful flourish, as if conducting the opening bars of an orchestral piece. 'Appare vestigium.'

A shimmer of gold rained across the enclosure. As it fell, it began to form into a dark trail of gold that whipped around haphazardly. Some of the gold powder came together to form an image: a spherical object with a long, sharp stinger and a pair of rapidly-beating wings. The Billywig.

The image of the Billywig whizzed around the enclosure and away into the night. As the remnants of the spell faded, so did the gold dust, disappearing into thin air as if it had never existed.

'So it's been already then,' Jacob observed. He was still gazing into the enclosure, as if trying to spot some tiny trace of that beautiful gold dust.

Queenie tugged on his sleeve, trying to get him to look upwards rather than straight ahead. Eventually, Jacob complied.

He almost had to pinch himself. A rather forlorn-looking ostrich was floating about twenty feet above them.

'Oh.'

Tina groaned. The paperwork was going to be a nightmare.

'Let's not think about that now, Teenie,' said Queenie. 'How do we get the Billywig to come back so we can catch it?'

The floating ostrich situation seemed to be stable, at least for the time being, so Tina figured Queenie was right to focus on the Billywig for now. She turned to Jacob. 'Any ideas?'

Jacob frowned for a moment, thinking. 'Well,' he said slowly. 'If it's attracted to large birds, I suppose we'll have to make a bit of noise to bring it over here. Amplify the signal, so to speak.'

'Amplify the signal,' Queenie repeated. 'That sounds very professional.' She flashed him an adoring look.

'Well, I dug latrines for the RATEL department during the war…uhh, Tina, you sure that's a good idea?'

Queenie spun around to follow Jacob's gaze. Tina was in the centre of the ostrich enclosure and sending sparks of all colours shooting out the end of her wand. All around her, the ostriches were beginning to rouse. None had moved yet, but they were all fixated by this sudden mysterious show of fireworks.

'Tina, be careful!' Queenie cried.

Tina waved a hand of acknowledged and called back. 'You and Jacob keep out of the enclosure.'

Queenie wasn't too pleased about this, but she knew that if she went in after her sister, Jacob would follow. And Jacob, however talented and brave and wonderful, was unarmed. Tina was an Auror, she consoled herself, as she had done so many times before. Tina would be perfectly fine.

Queenie didn't have much time to ponder the issue though, because she soon detected a flurry of thoughts just outside the zoo. A trio of No-Maj teenagers. And drunk. Not good.

'Hey guys,' she called loudly enough so Tina could hear, but not so loud as to be heard by the boys outside. 'There're a bunch of No-Maj boys thinking about breaking into the zoo. I'm gonna go head them off.'

'Thanks, Queenie,' said Tina, still trying to get a reaction out of the birds. She had now progressed to sending sparks flying towards them, and some of the ostriches were on their feet now, dancing around the sparks.

'Jacob, under no circumstances enter the enclosure,' Queenie said sternly. 'Yell for me if you need me. I won't be long.'

Jacob gave her a cheerful salute, which made her smile as she hurried away. He grinned after her, then turned his attention back to the enclosure.

A tiny flash of blue darted in through the gaps in the fence.

'There! Tina! The Billywig!' he yelled excitedly.

Tina, hearing this, scanned the space around her furiously until she, too, spotted the creature. 'Arresto momentum.' She spun around in her circle, her wand held out in front of here, parallel to the ground. A strange stillness fell across the enclosure.

The ostriches were thoroughly riled up now, stamping their feet and racing around the enclosure, but they seemed to move in slow motion, as if wading through water. The Billywig, normally too fast for the eye to follow, was now clearly visible, though still travelling rapidly enough to make it challenging to catch.

Beads of sweat formed on Tina's brow as she fought to maintain the enchantment while chasing after the Billywig. As she ran, she pulled a small wooden box from her pocket. Jacob watched from the gate of the enclosure, eyes wide in anticipation.

After what seemed like an eon, Tina trapped the tiny creature in one corner of the enclosure and snatched it up into the box. Exhausted, she slumped to the floor. The arresto momentum enchantment broke.

Jacob realised what was going to happen a split second before it did. 'Tina, that's an ostrich nest!' he yelled, but the bird was already upon her.

Her instincts honed from her Auror training, Tina threw herself to one side. The vicious toe of an angry mother ostrich missed her stomach, where the blow might have been fatal. But it caught her lower leg and tore a huge gash through the muscle. She let out a cry of agony.

Just outside the zoo, Queenie had finally reasoned, pleaded and flirted with the teenagers enough to send them on their way. It was just as well, because at that moment, Tina's piercing scream echoed through her mind with such acuity that it send her heart jolting straight into her throat. Without wasting another second, Queenie went racing back to the ostrich enclosure.

She rounded the corner, breathless, to see Jacob half-drag, half-carry her sister through the gates and into safety outside the enclosure. As they passed the gate, Tina relaxed her wand arm and the Shield Charm dissipated. Jacob seemed unharmed, if a little breathless from exertion. Tina was pale-faced and shaking, with blood gushing out from her left leg. Her left hand was clutching a tiny wooden box that was shaking violently, as if a very strong insect was trying to get out.

'What in the name of Morrigan were you thinking?' Queenie cried, not sure whom to be angry at first.

'I'm fine, Queenie,' said Tina, pulling herself into a sitting position. She leaned on the back of the enclosure, panting. 'Are you all right, Jacob?'

'Fine.'

'Queenie?'

Queenie didn't answer. She was already kneeling next to her sister, trying to see what the damage was. 'We've got Dittany and Blood-replenishing potion back at home. Oh, Teenie, you're so pale!'

'I'm fine, Queenie,' Tina repeated. She passed the Billywig to Jacob. 'Hold that, will you?'

Tina made to wave her wand over her leg, but Queenie pushed her hand away. 'I'll do it, mine are much neater,' she insisted. 'Ferula.'

True to her word, Queenie's bandages were perfect. They bound Tina's leg with just the right amount of pressure, and were the perfect length so as to not leave any bits hanging.

'Thanks, Queenie,' Tina muttered.

Queenie, still livid, didn't answer. But she decided to spare Tina for the time being and turned her fury onto Jacob. 'I told you to stay outside, Jacob! You could've been hurt!'

Jacob looked rather indignant. 'Well, what was I supposed to do? Let Tina get trampled to death by a bunch of crazy birds?'

'He's right,' Tina said weakly. 'He saved my life.'

The truth of this seemed to penetrate the aura of red that seemed to surround Queenie, and her face softened immediately. 'Of course he did. He's a hero.'

Grateful to have been let off the hook, Jacob grinned. Tina seemed to take this as a sign that she could get on with things. 'We still have to deal with the floating ostrich. Now, I'll just –'

'Absolutely not!' Queenie cried. Tina had tried to use the enclosure fence to pull herself into a standing position, but Queenie pushed her back down. 'You're hurt, Tina, we need to get you back home. MACUSA can deal with the ostrich in the morning. And don't think you're off the hook, because I've still got to have a word with you about unnecessary risks!'

Tina sighed, defeated. Admittedly, her leg was throbbing painfully and she was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. Queenie was right.

'Can you Apparate us?' Tina's voice was so weak and so small that Queenie's expression softened once more.

'Yeah, I can. Jacob, can you help her up? I'll take you both Side-Along.'

Jacob helped Tina to her feet. She leaned against him, supporting her weight on her uninjured leg. She held onto his arm so tightly that Jacob thought he might lose circulation.

Queenie gripped Jacob's other arm, and they turned on the spot and Disapparated with a loud 'CRACK!'


	7. Letters across the Atlantic

Dear Newt,

I suppose you've heard all about the Billywig from Theseus, who would have received the official MACUSA report. We tried to keep it under wraps, but when the ostrich floated across Central Park at sunrise, MACUSA stepped in and I was forced to come clean. I didn't mention you, though they surely suspect. Still, they can't prove anything. MACUSA have arranged the Billywig to be transported back to Australia, and are setting in place a series of recommendations regarding stricter border security at customs.

I'd tell you the details of what happened, but Queenie and Jacob are sitting together in the kitchen now, writing you a blow-by-blow, so I'll let them tell the tale. Before you read their story, though, know that I am perfectly fine. Queenie's Dittany healed me a trice and the Blood-Replenishing Potion had me back to normal after a good sleep. Not that that stopped her fussing like a mother hen. I've been injured as an Auror before, but I think actually being there with me freaked her out a bit.

Still, I'm not _too_ worried about Queenie, not now she's got Jacob taking care of her. MACUSA doesn't know he's gotten his memories back yet so we're all being really careful. Queenie's taking a huge risk; I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But Newt, you've no idea how wonderful it is to see her smiling and cooking and singing again.

Anyway, rest assured the Billywig situation has been taken care of. I wish you could have been there, Newt. Tell me, how is it all going with your manuscript? You're very much missed here in New York - do try to visit soon.

Yours,

Tina

...

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Queenie was trying to coax Jacob back to the table.

'It's nothing scary, honey, I promise,' she beseeched him. The green quill and notepad hovered beside her left ear and dipped its feather, as if nodding. 'It's just a Quick-Quotes Quill, Jacob. It'll make it easier for us to write to Newt.'

Still eyeing the quill suspiciously, Jacob carefully returned to his seat at the kitchen table.

'Now then,' said Queenie. 'Once I tell it to start, we just say what we want to say, and the quill writes it down. Simple, right?'

Jacob nodded. He seemed afraid to speak, in case he said the wrong thing and the quill sprang into action and leapt out the window or something.

Satisfied, Queenie waved her wand and the quill jerked upright, nib at the ready about half an inch from the surface of the notepad.

'Dear Newt,' Queenie began. 'I'm writing this letter with Jacob. We're using a Quick Quotes Quill. We're going to tell you exactly what happened with the Billywig because Teen's definitely ain't gonna go into the details.'

Queenie gave Jacob a pointed look. Jacob, who had been staring at the quill with his mouth open like a codfish, suddenly realised he was supposed to say something. 'Uh, hi, Newt. Hope you're doing okay over there, buddy. I remember everything, by the way, you know. Hey, Queenie, is it meant to be doing that?'

The quill had been writing so viciously that it was tearing bits of parchment from the surface and sending fibres flying in all directions. Queenie flicked her wand again and it calmed down, and carefully scribbled ' _Hey, Queenie is it meant to be doing that?_ '

'Scratch that last,' said Queenie, and the quill erased Jacob's last sentence.

'Anyway,' Queenie continued. 'The Billywig story. So Teenie found out from your brother about the Billywig and didn't want to draw too much attention so we all snuck out in the middle of the night. It was Jacob's idea to try the ostriches, perfectly brilliant, and he led us straight to the ostrich enclosure without any difficulty.'

Queenie grinned as she watched Jacob blush from across the table. She nodded at him to take up the story.

'Right, yes, so,' said Jacob. The quill scribbled ' _Right, yes, so'_ onto the letter. Queenie rolled her eyes, amused. Jacob ignored her and continued the story, 'So we find the ostriches and one of them's already floating around above our heads all lit up by the moon and everything. So Tina's like, well, better rile up the ostriches so the Billywig comes back, so she goes into the enclosure and starts firing sparks everywhere. Pretty sparks though, like fireworks.'

'Now, don't fret, honey, my sister's all right,' Queenie interrupted quickly. 'She's writing to you now.'

'Yeah, she's a tough cookie,' Jacob agreed. 'So she's busy riling up the ostriches, but then a bunch of teenage boys, non-wizards, you know, are outside the gates causing mischief, and Queenie hears them and goes to head them off.'

'Before which, for the record, I specifically told Tina to be careful and Jacob to stay out of the enclosure.'

'Anyhow, so Queenie's doing all her crazy mind-reading and fending them off,' Jacob continues, voice full of adoration. 'And Tina's still doing the crazy sparks thing and all the ostriches are going mad. Then the Billywig comes flying in - that thing can really fly, Newt, it's fast! So it whizzes in and Tina casts this charm-thing that makes everything slow down. That thing's still really fast though, so she's chasing it all around the enclosure and then she finally catches it. She looked absolutely exhausted then and the charm-thing slips and everything speeds up again. She's quick though, she dives out of the way of the crazy ostrich but it catches her on the leg.'

'So then Jacob runs into the enclosure, against my instructions, and he drags Tina out of there away from all the angry ostriches,' Queenie said.

'Yeah, she cast this Shield thing so they wouldn't hurt us,' Jacob added.

'But he didn't know she could do that at the time,' said Queenie. 'He's a real hero, Jacob is.'

At this point, Jacob's face is beetroot-red and the Quick-Quotes Quill is starting to stab holes in the parchment again. Queenie waves her wand again to calm it down.

'So at that point, Tina's pretty badly hurt, so we leave the floating ostrich and Apparate her out of there. She's okay now, Newt. Dittany and Blood-replenishing potion. You probably know what it's like, having an Auror for a brother. Teen's always coming home with injuries so I've gotten pretty good at first aid over the years.' Queenie sighed, a little sadly, remembering all the cuts and bruises and broken limbs that she'd had to mend. 'So that's about it for the Billywig story. MACUSA came and tidied up the next morning, but they haven't linked anything to you so don't you worry. Just hurry up with your book so you can come back and see my sister.'

'Yeah, and see the rest of New York too,' Jacob added. 'Hang in there, buddy. Write soon.'

'Yours,' said Queenie, to finish off the letter. She made eye contact with Jacob, and they said together, 'Queenie and Jacob.'

...

Dear Tina,

It was so wonderful to receive your letter, and Queenie and Jacob's Quick Quotes letter (even if the parchment was full of holes - your sister has a very enthusiastic quill!).

I'm glad to hear that the three of you are all right now. But please, Tina, you know that scared creatures can lash out. You could have been killed! At the risk of sounding like Queenie - please, please, be more careful in the future!

I must apologise for letting the Billywig situation arise in the first place. I didn't even think about the ostriches and for some reason I never thought it would sting New Yorkers, though I guess your physiologies are not so different to the Australians.

Thank you so very much for considering me, though in future you mustn't go to such trouble to protect me. The Billywig was my mistake, and if the authorities see fit to punish me for it, let them do so. Don't go risking your life trying to clean up my messes. But not that I'm not grateful, Tina, I really am. You are so wonderfully kind and brave to do such a thing. As for having it sent home rather than executed, I know that must have something to do with you - thank you.

As for my manuscript, it is coming along nicely, though it would be a lot more efficient if Theseus stopped trying to invite me to dinner so he can interrogate me about you.

Unfortunately, I am facing some difficulties with getting back to visit New York. The Auror Department are cracking down on 'border security' as they call it. They're afraid I'm going on Dumbledore's orders and they won't believe either of us. Bunch of careerist hypocrites, really, following around Travers like puppies.

Please give my love to Queenie and Jacob and thank them for such an entertaining letter.

Yours,

Newt


End file.
